Has anyone recovered from an eating disorder?

angel5392

If you have, I need your help!

I have a long history of EDNOS - restricting then bingeing/purging cycle. I was "recovered" for a few months. But unfortunately, it has come back with a vengeance. I'm eating 6-700 calories a day and the voices and anxiety keep skyrocketing when I eat so it's hard to.

I see a psychiatrist and psychologist but it's not doing much good at the moment.

What has helped you???

fitoverfortymom

My daughter had an ED in high school (she is in college now). We found her a treatment team we all liked. I took the burden of having to make food choices away from her. I prepared each meal for her and sat with her while she ate. Purging wasn't an issue for her. We lived by the rule of "life stops until you eat." No matter whether it was school or anything else, she had to eat first.

If you don't have someone with you who can provide that level of support, maybe you should consider a home her level of treatment, such as an inpatient program, where there are resources to help monitor your food intake.

Anonymous_fiend

Former anorexia with bulimic tendencies. Honestly its how I felt mentally and physically. I struggled since 13 and was hospitalized. Meds caused weight gain and I relapsed. Hair loss, dull skin, always tired, neurotic, brittle nails, going out was hard if there was food, stretch marks from fast weight loss, depression and chemical imbalances, worried about if I don't throw up enough or if someone finds out, obsessed about how I looked and what I ate...i hated myself. I stopped bc even when I was thin I looked gaunt and I needed to focus on being healthy mentally and physically to reach my goals. Its a slow process to get over but most of its mental. Most unhealthy relationships with food is emotional so you need to target why you feel that way. Support systems help. But you need to figure out why you want to stop first. Set non food goals. Push yourself a little more each day. Its okay if you can't eat 1500 the first day. Just take an extra bite. Tell the voice in your head that's putting you down its wrong. Learn to take care and love yourself because you are worth it how you are right now . Medication helped a bit. Mostly fighting to be happy by not letting an ed control my life by therapy and self examination. And besides I found starving myself to cause weight to come back on faster afterwards

You can do this

fruitystix

When I was 26 I'd eat one piece toast with no butter, one yogurt and apple during day then in evening bring up about half the lovely dinner my sister would cook (I was not great at puking) jogging nearly every day. I was in a strange place mentally. I was not interested anything besides diet and exercise. this went on for months and I got very thin at 45kg (5'4 height) after a while once I was sitting at church.. I just felt plain guilty for what I was doing to myself, starving myself, so I stopped. I don't know if this counts as never got to the point I needed medical help, but that was my experience

fruitystix

Sorry I meant to say I was 16 (at high school)

Anonymous_fiend

Religion also helped me I was sneaking out of meals in temple to throw up. The guilt/shame really pushed me to improve. Yeah that hazey time while your thoughts are preoccupied with diet/fitness sucks